A/N: Sorry I took long with this update but I just wanted to get my last chapter of the Battousai's Princess out as soon as I could. Anyway, about this story…you can already get the gist of the romance and such between Kenshin and Kaoru…even if it is coy romance. Well onegai! Read on and enjoy my next chapter!
Previously on Reaching True Feelings: "No, no you don't have to." Kaoru looked at him one last time and ran out of the door, leaving a stunned Kenshin behind. As Kaoru ran, she felt tears spilling all over her. She wanted Kenshin to hold her. She really wanted that. But she couldn't be someone who interferes with a couple. That wouldn't be right to ignore Tomoe and…Kenshin knew that. What is going on? Kaoru stopped running as soon as she was far away from Kenshin's class and went to a water fountain to catch her breath. She wanted to forget the way that his hand wrapped around her back and how his other hand, his warm hand touched her face. She blushed at the fact that skin to skin contact felt very good. It was something that made her heart skip a beat. It was something that made her forget everything around her. Kaoru walked down the long hallways, touching the place that Kenshin had touched before as she walked.
Kenshin sat in his chair after the seventh period class had ended. He rested his head against the palm of his hand and sighed heavily. "Who would have thought that gifted students could be so loud and disrespectful." He said to himself as his forehead was throbbing. He opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of aspirin to relieve his awful headache. And on top of this headache, I had managed to defy Tomoe…and upset Kaoru. Could this day be any worse? It was as if he blurted out the magic words, 'open sesame' because as soon as he finished his certain thought, his phone rang loudly.
Kenshin grabbed it, without looking at who it was. "Hello?" He said, rather distraught.
The voice on the other line shocked him in someway. It was feminine. "Hello Kenshin, it's me."
"Oh, Tomoe." Kenshin started strumming his fingers against the desktop. "Is something the matter? You sound awful, that you do." There was a long pause, which made Kenshin teeter on edge. He had even wondered if Tomoe was still on the other line. "Tomoe? Are you there?" He said as he began to worry.
"Yes I am, Kenshin. It's my mother…she…" Her voice faded out before Kenshin got a chance to hear what she was saying. Kenshin stood up and looked out of the window, prepared for what she was going to say. "She's dead…Oh Kenshin! She's dead!" Kenshin could hear her fight back the tears as she said that. He could hear how much she was hurting and he grit his teeth.
"I'm so sorry."
"And that's why I called you…Kenshin there's something that I need to tell you…and I don't think it will be easy for me."
"You can tell me…" He said in a reassuring tone of voice. There was another long pause. Kenshin was beginning to worry about her.
"We can't see each other anymore, Kenshin." She blurted out. "This entire situation with my mother has made me horrible company and I…I just can't do this. It's too much for me." Kenshin hadn't loved Tomoe, they had been going out together for about a month. He just could never develop feelings for her in that short amount of time. But although he did not love her, he cared about her well being.
It was Kenshin's turn to give an awkward pause. He swallowed hard and put a hand to his head. "I'm sorry about that Tomoe. But, I do understand your situation so…I can only wish you luck." He could hear Tomoe sniffle, he wouldn't be surprised if she would start crying. "Maybe we'll stay good friends."
"I'd like that…Kenshin. Even though we weren't very involved, I'd love to be a friend to you. You've been so good to me in the past and I never will forget you." Kenshin smiled. "I have to go now. I need to plan a funeral for my mother right away, so she can rest in peace."
"I understand. Goodbye Tomoe." And she hung up. Kenshin still held the phone in its hand. He looked at the words 'call ended' on his cellular phone and cursed lightly. Those words seemed to have a big effect on him but he did not understand why. It probably involves Kaoru. Now that Tomoe and I aren't seeing each other anymore… Kenshin walked over to his chair again and grabbed his coffee cup. "I have to tell Kaoru that I didn't mean to hurt her in that way. I don't know why, but I have to apologize." Kenshin shut off the lights and walked out of his classroom, forgetting that Kaoru had a detention and was not at home.
The day was over for everyone except for Kaoru, Youko, and all of the other delinquents in the school. She sighed heavily as she gathered her things together in her bag…knowing that she would still be locked up inside the cursed building for another hour at least. She was in no mood to sit with Youko in the art room for eternity and listen to his contemptible comments as time lingered on and on. Kaoru shut her locker quietly and walked past all of the adrenaline rushed teenagers, on her way to a boring afternoon. True it was partially her fault for getting the detention, the way that she poured a bucket of water over Youko's head would make any teacher angry. But what upset Kaoru the most was the fact that the teacher called it a 'lover's tiff.' There was no way that she would ever think of Youko that way but what would a teacher know? Kaoru shrugged at her own trail of thought and continued walking on to the art room.
Even though the art room wasn't an inch away from her locker, it seemed that the walk there was taking a very long time. Maybe there was just something on her mind. Yes…something that she couldn't shake off even if she tried. The moment in english class in which Kenshin touched her. She felt good when his strong and large hands housed comfortably on her back and forehead. And she grunted to herself when she had to blurt out that it was wrong. Of course it was! It's not that she thought otherwise but…she just wanted that moment to last a bit longer. Good, there's the art room. Maybe now I can finally distract myself and forget about Mr. Himura. If word gets out that he touched me like that, not only will he be fired, but I'll never hear the end of it from Youko and his loser friends! She shook her head in the tiniest form of motion and stepped in the art room, using her usual stride as she walked.
She didn't bother looking up. She could tell that Youko was the only one in the room at that time and she didn't think that she should waste the time and energy to look his way. The feelings inside of Kaoru were still bubbling up inside of her, causing her to look pale and bleak. She sat down across from Youko and folded her arms. There was a deafening silence that filled the room that caused her to grit her teeth. The teacher still hadn't come out to them and Kaoru ended up strumming her fingers on the desk in sheer annoyance. "Would ya stop? That's really annoying." Youko finally blurted out. She glared at him in a malevolent way and clenched her fists, causing her to stop that strumming noise. "What's up with you? Are you afraid of the big bad detention? Afraid that it'll ruin you're rep as being the good student, the good example?"
"Shut up Youko. I don't need you talking to me like that so just shut up." Youko arched an eyebrow and scoffed.
"You don't have to be like that. Something is pissing you off isn't it?"
"Yeah you are!"
"Besides me, Kaoru. Like when you were crying in spanish class! You just said that it was an allergy but the entire time I've known you, you never cried because of an allergy."
"Well maybe because you never really hung out with me until now so you wouldn't know."
"Stop your fighting Youko and Kaoru." The art teacher came in the room with a soda in her hand. "Isn't that the reason that you are both in detention in the first place?" They both nodded at the same time and the teacher folded her arms in satisfaction. "Well now, I have to keep you two for an hour because of what you did. So…I want the two of you to write an essay, telling me what happened that day, why you acted the way you did, and explaining to me why it is wrong. You can take as long as you need to finish this assignment. After all, I'm not an english teacher." Kaoru's heart started to pound. Yeah sure she wasn't an english teacher but Kenshin was. Rrgh! Stop thinking about that! Kaoru mentally slapped herself and opened her binder to get a few slices of looseleaf and a pen.
"Paper?" Youko simply said.
"Why the heck aren't you prepared? Do you just expect me to hand everything to you when you were just so mean to me? What fantasy world do you live in, Youko?"
"Fine! I'll ask the teacher for some then!"
"Ah, here." She said as she slid him two sheets. "Just leave me alone." Kaoru said as she started to write fast. She scribbled everything down at once, trying to get her assignment over with. But unlike Kaoru, Youko was having a bit of trouble. It's not like he wrote essays concerning good behavior on a consistent basis. He really wasn't concentrating on the essay, he was tapping his pen on the table instead. Kaoru grit her teeth and snatched Youko's pen away fast, causing Youko to get angry. "Look, I gave you paper. You have a pen. So write. The sooner you finish, the faster you'll get out of here!" She snapped as she started writing again.
Kenshin was driving along in his red convertible, his hair flapping along in the breeze. He drove around the unfamiliar neighborhood in which Kaoru lived. "I don't really remember where she lives, that I don't." He tried to remember which house was hers and so he pulled over, giving him ample time to think about it. Her directions to her house came out in jumbled sentences, that was as much as he could pick up. "Maybe if I drive around, It'll trigger something." Kenshin put the key in the ignition and slowly drove around the secluded streets. I remember when she wanted to tell me something when my phone suddenly rang. And I remember watching her exit my car and go into her house. That's it! Kenshin drove up the street until he came across the house that was suddenly so familiar.
Kenshin shut his car door and walked up to Kaoru's front porch. The wind blew gently across his face and for some odd reason, he felt nervous. It may have brought him back to when he was a teenager himself. Going to his date's house and asking for her, feeling awkward yet relieved to see someone he actually knew. But of course, he was no teenager and his intentions were completely different than that of his younger self. He rang the doorbell and stood back, waiting for someone to come to the door. Suddenly, a woman greeted him with a cheerful smile. "Yes may I help you?"
"Hello, miss. My name is Himura Kenshin and I am Kaoru's english teacher." She bowed respectfully. "I have come to talk to her about something important. It's about a special assignment, to be exact." He lied.
"Oh I see. I'm so sorry Kenshin but Kaoru is in detention right now. I don't like the fact that she's there but I can't do anything about it now. She'll be back in an hour or so. Should I tell her that you stopped by?"
"No." Kenshin sighed heavily. "No, that won't be necessary, thank you." He glanced at her and noticed that Kaoru looked very much like her. "Are you Kaoru's mother?" Kenshin asked unexpectedly.
"Why yes, I am."
"I thought you were. You look very much like her, that you do." She smiled. "Well thank you, miss. You don't have to tell Kaoru that I was here. I will speak with her tomorrow." She nodded and Kenshin walked away, back to his car.
As he got into it, he cursed lightly. I can't believe that I forgot about her having a detention with Youko. I really wanted to tell her how sorry I was for moving in on her like that. I didn't mean to. I should tell her that soon before she gets too uncomfortable around me. As Kenshin drove away onto the highway, his thoughts became clouded of Kaoru. And now that Tomoe said that we could not see each other anymore, I don't feel like I am dishonoring her in anyway when I think of Kaoru. Wait…I cannot think of her like that. She is just a student and I am her teacher…that's right, her teacher. And that is a fine line that I cannot cross, that I cannot.
Kaoru capped her pen and stood up. "What you're done already?" Kaoru glanced over at his paper and he barely had anything written.
"Well maybe if you concentrated harder, you would get the job done in half the time but clearly, your mind isn't in the game, huh? Now that I finished with my paper, I can get out of here and make the most of my afternoon." Kaoru went into the back room where the teacher was and handed her paper in. "So long!" Kaoru said to Youko, gloating. He watched her walk out of the room as casually as possible and he clenched his pen hard, now writing like a banshee in order to get out of that detention.
A/N: Youko is quite the character, ne? Well please review and make me happy! ^___^x All of these reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!
